


Violet Turned Red

by Coffeetailor



Category: Gundam Wing, Gundam Wing/AC and Hellsing crossover, Hellsing
Genre: Crossover, Drama, F/M, M/M, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-09-30
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-12 07:44:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/122552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeetailor/pseuds/Coffeetailor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Due to her inability to watch someone die, Seras gets her first fledgling. Who it is surprises everyone, her master and childe especially. When the Preventers and Hellsing work together, evil doesn't stand a chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death and the Undead

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: New fic, and breaching into a new fandom. Yay. First of all, I blame the widespread Maxwell name for this particularly bloodthirsty plot bunny. Second, I'm aware that there is another GW/Hellsing crossover floating about, but I started writing this one before it was posted, so it was in no way, shape, or form inspired by it. I hope you like the new idea. I don't own Hellsing nor Gundam Wing.

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter One

Death and the Undead

"Day, this is Night. Respond. Over."

"This is Day, over."

"I'm in the third level basement," Duo said, pressed against the wall as he listened for movement from the room beyond the door. "They have some sort of lab down here."

The chilly room had a series of corpse covered tables, the bodies left uncovered, and their grayish skin beginning to rot. There was something decidedly off about them.

"There are a couple of bodies, probably failed experiments," he informed his partner over the radio. "No sign of anyone alive- wait, I just spotted movement. Night out."

There had been a flash of blue and yellow past the opposite door, accompanied by a glint of metal in the low light.

Removing the safety on his gun, he crept across the room, trigger at the ready. Pausing to listen, he frowned. No sound of breathing. Just how far ahead had the guy gotten already? Jumping the door, he found himself face to… Cannon.

He froze, cross-eyed as he stared down the wide barrel. When his head wasn't blown off, he risked moving it an inch to see past to his attacker.

And blinked.

The cannon, probably weighing over eighty pounds, was held by a petite blonde in a short-skirted blue uniform. Red eyes blinked back at him.

"Hi, mind putting the cannon down?" he asked, slapping a grin onto his face.

She yelped after noticing his uniform, nearly dropping the thing in her haste to lower it. "Sorry! Seras Victoria, Hellsing."

"Duo Maxwell, Preventers," Duo said, relaxing. They shook hands. He recognized the Hellsing name. It was one of the groups left over from the British government before the world government formed. He couldn't remember what they did, but they sounded like the good guys. "You hunting the same jerks we're hunting?"

"Probably not, but they're likely to be working together," Seras said.

"Why don't we hunt together, then?" he suggested, grinning playfully. He may have had a boyfriend already, but that didn't mean he couldn't play.

Her eyes widened, and the woman quickly shook her head. "No! Er - wouldn't we cover more ground separate?"

Duo's eyes narrowed. "What does Hellsing do that they don't want the Preventers to see, Miss Victoria?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, shoulders slumping. "But I only have permission to work with my partner, who's still up a floor. Where's yours?"

"Clearing the upstairs," Duo said, shaking his head. It was irritating, but he of all people understood clearance. "How about you circle around left, I go right, and we meet at the north end stairs. Not technically working together then, right?"

"Er, I guess," Seras said, voice uncertain. "Nice meeting you, Agent Maxwell. Don't get killed. Sir Hellsing expects us to write reports on any casualties."

Duo laughed. "Une's the same, so you'd better stay alive too, babe."

The two split ways, Seras staring after Duo for a moment. They didn't look alike, but the Preventer's mannerisms were very much like Pip's. His features _did_ remind her of someone, but she couldn't place just who. Catching the scent of undead carrion, she pushed the thought of the odd agent from her mind. There was hunting to do.

Duo didn't blink, cold sweat running down his back. He had a ton of appreciation for classics, but seeing the traditional digital clock count down was not what he wanted to see while in a raid.

"Day, this is Night. Respond, over," he said, trying to wet his dry mouth.

"This is Day," Heero's voice said though his earpiece, concerned. "Night, what's wrong?"

"Pull everyone out of the building, now," Duo said, leaving no room for argument. "We've got a triggered countdown bomb. Looks like one of those good old fashioned Hollywood boys, but I'm not about to go cutting the red or the green wires and hoping that I remembered my action flicks right, you know?"

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Duo, get out of there!"

"Heero, buddy, I'm three floors down and we've got thirty seconds," Duo said, sounding a lot calmer than he felt. "Get out and give my love to Fei, okay? Shinigami out."

 _"Duo!"_

With that, he disconnected his radio. There was no need for anyone to hear his death screams.

 _25._

"Agent Maxwell!"

He spun around, eyes wide in horror. How could he have forgotten the Hellsing agents? Seras ran toward him, her earlier clean uniform partially covered in blood.

 _23._

"Babe, you need to get out of here," he yelled, grabbing for his knife. Maybe he could at least lessen the blast by cutting some of the connections to the other bunches, where the wires trailing away from the main device had to be going. Maybe she and her partner at least could make it. "This bomb's about to go off!"

"Why aren't you running then?" she insisted, grabbing his arm. Her grip was stronger than one would have suspected with her size. "Come on!"

 _19._

"Can't," he said, freeing his arm with a good wiggle. Crouching down, he picked through the wires. "Gotta see if I can separate some of the sections."

 _17._

"Seras, we need to get out!" a man's voice shouted down the stairs. Duo's hands paused. That voice - It was with a wrench of willpower that he kept going.

"Stay up there!" the woman called back. "There's a bomb!"

 _13._

Wires frayed and snapped under Duo's blade. So far, so good; he hadn't triggered the thing early. Silently, he prayed for the others to get out of there on time.

 _9._

Duo wiped the sweat out of his eyes, focusing on his task. At least he knew that there'd be someone to mourn him. He just wished that he could hug Wufei one last time.

 _5._

 _Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…_

Strong arms hugged him to the woman's amble bodice, swinging them both around to put her back to the timer. Duo only had a moment to wonder about the lack of a heart beating in his ear before his world was blown apart.


	2. Death of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Glad to hear that people liked the new fic. Wasn't sure since it's my first Hellsing. I'm now officially on my very short summer vacation before the new quarter starts up. No more dealing with lazy reporters until the fall. Yay! does a happy dance Anyway, here's the new chapter for your reading pleasure. Same disclaimer as last chapter. Read and review!

"Violet Turned Red"  
Chapter Two  
Death of Death

He couldn't breath; there was something lying across his chest. _A support beam_ , his mind told him. He coughed and tasted blood.

"-Maxwell, please answer! Agent Maxwell!"

He smiled lazily, wishing his eyes would focus. "Call," he coughed, "call me Duo."

There was something warm dripping onto his face. Tears? It didn't feel like water…

" _Kid_?"

Duo's eyes snapped wide. _Impossible_. He coughed again, forcing a choked word through his lips. "Solo."

The dead man's voice was casual, but Duo could hear the sadness layered in it. "Long time no see. Should of known we'd meet again like this."

"I'm dying, aren't I?" the pilot asked, closing his eyes again. They were already playing tricks on him even as his sight faded, so why bother looking? Solo'd never gotten the chance to grow up after all, and he certainly didn't remember his old gang leader sporting an eye patch.

"Yeah, yeah, you are," Solo said. At least he still had his accent.

Wufei's face swam into his mind's eye, and grief settled over his heart. "I don't want to die, Solo."

"Well, sometimes we don't get to decide that," the ghost said.

"I can't die now; I promised him," Duo said, firming his jaw stubbornly. He tried looking at Solo, but could only make out a vague blur. "I don't care if it damns me for all eternity, _but I can't die now!_ "

A pair of arms held him, and he fought against them with the last of his strength as his heart slowed. By the time a pair of lips pressed against his throat and there was a sharp pain, he was unable to do much more than shake.

 _Who'd of thought that the kiss of death would be so literal?_

And with that thought in his mind and his lover's name on his lips, Duo Maxwell's heart stopped.

\-----

It was taking four Preventer agents to keep Heero from running into the building after his partner. He'd been calm long enough to see most of the junior agents out safely, but that had been before the building had shook with the force of the bomb exploding, parts of the structure collapsing in upon themselves.

"Sir, you can't go in there!" a third-year agent insisted, desperately trying to hold onto the struggling pilot. "It's not safe!"

"Duo's in there!" Heero growled. He'd managed to throw two of them off when a pair of figures became discernable through the dust, a long braid swinging behind the taller of the two.

"Yuy, Commander Une's just informed us that two Hellsing agents were in the building as well. Their base was on the other side of the block," their communications op called out from the van. "Pip Bernadotte and Seras Victoria. Their commander should be joining us shortly."

But Heero barely heard the man, his eyes locked on the two approaching them. The braided silhouette was wrong, and he was carrying a limp form: A limp form with a dark brown braid and a Preventers' uniform. _No._

"Oh God," one of the agents Heero's thrown whispered. "Not Maxwell."

The woman was covered in blood, little of it hers from the looks of it. She grimly paced her partner while carrying a sizable gun. The man dressed in tan and was armed to the teeth, a reddish braid swinging behind him. In his arms he carried a too still, too quiet, and too pale Duo Maxwell.

"I couldn't convince him to run," the woman, who must have been the Hellsing agent Victoria, said quietly. "He shielded me."

Heero didn't want to look too closely; he didn't want to really see. Removing his Preventers jacket, he draped it over the elven face. Even that didn't cover the sight completely, as one arm dangled down past the coat in the traditional pose of tragic death.

"Bernadotte. Victoria. What the hell happened?"

A longhaired blonde woman in a suit stormed toward them, followed by a couple other Hellsing soldiers. Victoria gave a snappy salute while her partner nodded to his commander, hands full.

"Sir, the Preventers target had rigged the building with explosives, and Agent Maxwell fell disarming them as much as he could," Seras reported. Something seemed to pass between the two women, and Sir Hellsing nodded. "With your permission, Preventer, we have our own ambulance already waiting."

"Go," Heero said shortly, no emotion in his voice. "We'll inform his next of kin."

"Our examiner will send you the autopsy," Sir Hellsing said.

"Thank you," Heero said. Inside, his mind was reeling. How was he going to tell Wufei? He'd failed his partner and two of his closest friends.

If he'd been willing to look Duo's face, he'd of seen the bloody tears staining the pale face as well as the two puncture wounds marring the pilot's elegant neck.

\----

Seras uncovered Duo's face as soon as the doors to their van had shut. Her hands shook as she wiped blood from his face, fingers darting to his lips to pull the upper one back. A sharp fang gleamed in the lights.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Pip asked, searching the man's face for movement. Damn had he been right when he'd said that the kid was going to grow up to be a heart breaker. Just like he'd been right when he'd known that even on L2, the odd-eyed street brat would survive despite the odds stacked against him.

"His body's still repairing itself," Seras said uncertainly. "I wasn't able to give him very much blood, and there was a lot of damage. Sir Hellsing is going to be so angry with me."

On cue, the passenger door snapped open. Integra shot them a dark look over her shoulder before barking for the driver to return them to the manor. Seras cringed, knowing that she was really going to get it once they were home and away from prying eyes. And once her master got back from his own mission… She didn't want to think about it.


	3. Welcome to Hellsing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, looks like I need to explain some things. First up, I've moved the entire Hellsing timeline forward into the Gundam Era. The queen is now the former (read, last) queen of England before the unification of the world government. I'll figure out what to do with Walter and Alucard's old partnership later if need be. Also, for those who missed it, Duo and Wufei are in a pre-established relationship in this fic. That's about it for now I think, so I hope you enjoy the chapter. Read and reivew!

"Violet Turned Red"  
Chapter Three  
Welcome to Hellsing

Wufei had the news on when there was a knock on the door; he was filled with dread by the sound of it. The anchorman said that a Preventer was dead, and Duo wouldn't knock.

The dull thud repeated in a stiff two beats. No more than necessary to be sure that the occupant had heard them, but he couldn't move.

After a third set was ignored, the door swung open.

"Wufei."

"Lie to me, Yuy," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Say that he's fine and just tied up in paperwork."

Heero didn't enter further than a few feet, shutting the door behind him. "Would you truly have me dishonor him in such a way?"

Wufei turned to look at him, trying to school his face into not showing his raw grief. "No. Never. I will honor his memory as I do Meiran's."

Stepping forward to lay a hand on the other's man's shoulder, Heero whispered, "I'll call the others to let them know."

"Thank you," Wufei said quietly, posture sagging. "But- I'm not ready for- I need to be alone for a bit."

"I'll tell them," Heero said, understanding. "Do you want to see him?"

Wufei shook his head. If Heero had already identified the body (he mentally winced at the term), then he wouldn't taint his last memories of Duo's smiling face.

They'd all agreed long ago to go quietly when they died: cremation, disposal of the ashes, and a small good bye without any fanfare. Originally, it was because none of them expected to survive the war and anything else would be noticeable and therefore dangerous. None of pilots felt the need to change their plans once peace had arrived. Let the living remnants of the war fade into the night.

\----

Seras had been right. She'd been sent to Integra's office immediately after reporting in, without even time to settle the new vampire into a basement room to finish healing. Instead, she had to leave him with Pip and a few armed soldiers.

Walter opened the office door for her before she could land a second knock, stepping aside so that she could enter.

"Seras Victoria, what were you thinking?" Integra demanded, her chair still facing the window behind her desk.

Red eyes looked down. "Pip- er, Captain Bernadotte knew him, and he really didn't want to die, and he seemed like a good person, and-"

"And if he had become a ghoul?" Integra cut in, turning her chair around.

Seras went silent for a moment. "Then I'd have done what we do to all ghouls we encounter. If that'd been the case, he would have died either way. His lungs and lower torso were crushed; he could not have survived left human."

Integra stared at her for a moment before blue eyes softened. "Very well. See that he's briefed on the situation and given a room in the lower levels with you and your master. However, if he proves to be a danger, it will be your responsibility to correct the problem, understood?"

"Yes sir," Seras said, nodding quickly.

She was about to leave when Integra spoke again. "And Seras, see if you can find out the exact history between our captain and your fledgling. It isn't every day that you get Preventers and mercenaries as old friends."

\----

Duo hurt. That bit was the first thing that told him that something was wrong. He should not have been hurting. He'd died, right?

"Am I in hell?" he asked the chill air. Funny, he'd always thought hell was supposed to be hot.

"You're one syllable off, Kid," Solo's voice said from above him. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

Duo frowned, listening. His hearing seemed better than he remembered. He was able to hear the movement of at least four men, and an equal number of heartbeats. One was missing though.

His own.

Pip tried to hide a wince as crimson eyes snapped open, latching onto his face immediately as the boy sat up. The kid had always had the most amazing irises, now changed forever to save his life and damn his soul.

"Solo, what happened to me?" Duo asked, eyes wide in fright. "I can't hear my heart beating, but I can hear yours. I can hear your very pulse! I'm supposed to be dead! _You're_ supposed to be dead. What the hell is happening?"

"Kid, I need you to calm down," Pip said, hands raised. He didn't want a newbie vampire defending himself on instinct and hurting someone. Namely him. "To put it in easy terms, I'm not dead, but you kinda are now."

"Kinda? How can I be kinda-" Duo broke off, staring at the handle bar he'd gripped in his panic. The bar that was now molded around his hand where he'd squeezed. "I swear, Solo, if you've turned me into fucking Frankenstein's monster, I'm coming after you for the parts to make my bride."

Pip smirked, shaking his head. "Right idea, wrong monster. You get three brides, and they usually come pre-assembled."

Duo swallowed, noticing a coppery flavor in his mouth. Trying to find the source of the blood, he froze as his tongue encountered his canines, sharper and longer than before.

Solo opened a cooler and pulled out what was easily recognizable as a bag of medical blood, handing it to him. "You'll be wanting this. Our girl's pretty young herself, and could only spare so much."

"I'm a _vampire_?" Duo said, voice high in disbelief.

"Judging by your grandsire, you're gonna be a powerful one too," the taller man said with a nod.

"Thank you for the vote on _my_ capabilities."

Seras entered the room, a fresh uniform replacing the bloodstained one. If Duo hadn't bee in such a state of shock, he would have been disappointed that she used the door instead of walking through the wall or coming in through a window (not that there were any) as a bat.

"Seras?" he asked, eyes wide. "You're a vampire? And you made me like you?"

The blonde smiled feebly. "You wondered what Hellsing does that we don't want the Preventers to see, right? Well, you're going to get to find out first hand. Welcome to Hellsing."


	4. Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whee, new chapter! Lorry for the update being so long in coming; I was a bit miffed by the _two_ reviews I received for chapter three. But for the two lovely people who left them, you're awesome. So, without much further ado, I present the disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, Hellsing, or Dracula, which I stuck in because you cannot have Hellsing without Dracula. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Read and review!

"Violet Turned Red"   
Chapter Four   
Blood

Duo regarded her silently for a moment before looking down at the bag of blood in his hands. An unknown instinct reared up and told him to rip open the plastic and guzzle it all. Stamping it down, he put on his joker mask and held up the bag. "Any chances of getting a cup?"

Seras and Pip both relaxed, the latter giving out a chuckle. "You never change, Kid."

"I've got a name now, Solo," Duo said as Seras left to fetch him a glass. "It's Duo Maxwell now. And what about you? I'm wanting answers here, buddy."

"Maybe when you're not hungry," Solo said, grinning in his crooked manner. "And it's Pip Bernadotte now. Found my real name. So, Duo? I'm honored. You're gonna raise as few eyebrows around here with that surname though."

"Are you going to tell me why now, or do I have to wait for the briefing?" Duo asked, curious.

"You're gonna have to wait," Pip said.

"Gah, you're impossible," Duo said with a huff, flopping back down on the gurney. He grimaced as he realized how much blood had soaked into his hair and clothes, a thought coming to mind. "Heero thinks I'm dead, doesn't he? And Wufei..."

"Technically, you are dead," Pip said, sobering. "But yeah, they do. We had to carry your body out past them."

"At least they have a solid answer," Duo said with a sigh. "I can't let Wufei see me like this."

"He your sweet heart?" Pip asked, taking a seat beside him on the gurney.

"Yeah, hooked up at the end of the war." The pilot stared up at the ceiling. "Never thought I'd be the first to go."

"Sorry it took so long," Seras said, coming back in. "I had to get to the kitchens to get it and ran into Walter on the way."

Sitting up, Duo accepted the glass, using his teeth to tear open the bag. "Not a problem. We were just catching up."

"So where did the two of you meet?" Seras said. She tried not to look at the blood Duo was emptying from the bag.

"When we were kids on L2," Pip said. "So, where'd you get Maxwell? Were you adopted?"

"Na, the church took me and a bunch of the other kids in," Duo said. "Took the Father's name." Closing his eyes, he took a long drink from the glass, trying not to think about what he was drinking. _It's just like one of Heero's protein smoothies. Think about it the same way as the smoothies. Good for you but nasty, and only gets worse when you think about it._ Unfortunately, his taste buds didn't agree with his mental chanting, and he resisted the temptation to lick the insides of the glass for the last traces. "It's going to take some time to get used to that."

"You're adjusting faster than I did," Seras said with a tiny sad smile. "Sir Hellsing wants to see you once you've fed enough to make up for the blood loss. Walter said he'd bring you some that have been warmed."

"So who is this Walter person?" Duo asked, forcing himself to put down the glass.

"Technically, he's the butler," Seras explained, keeping a close eye on her fledgling. "But he was also Hellsing's top assassin at one time."

"Sounds like an interesting person." The young vampire's head snapped toward the door as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. It looked like heightened senses would be another thing he was going to have to get used to, just one more thing on an ever-growing list. "Small, light footed man?"

The blonde woman tipped her head toward the door as well. "Yes, that would be Walter."

The door opened and an elderly gentleman entered with a pile of military style olive clothing, atop of which sat two unopened bags of medical blood wrapped partially in a towel. "Good evening, Mr. Maxwell. I am Walter C. Dornez, retainer of the Hellsing family."

"Duo Maxwell, former Preventer, I guess," Duo said. There was something about the man that had a familiar feel to it. "So, I hear you're the man with the food."

"Correct, Mr. Maxwell," Walter said with a small smile. "I've also brought you a new set of clothes. I doubt you'll be wanting to spend the rest of the night in a blood-soaked uniform."

"Thank you." Reaching out, Duo was about to take the pile when he noticed the blood dried on his hands. "Maybe you'd better just set them down and hand me the bags. I don't want to get blood on them."

"That would be wise," the older man said.

The towel wrapped around had been heated to help keep the blood warm, and also contained a small pair of scissors. Nodding his thanks, Duo snipped a hole in the top corner of one and drained it into his empty cup. He drank both down in rapid succession before using the towel to wipe his hands clean.

"Is there a place where I can get clean before I see the boss lady?"

"Of course, if you'll just come with me." Walter waited until he'd picked up the clothes before turning around and heading back out the door for Duo to follow him.

He was led to an empty military style locker room equipped with showers and left alone. Silently, he stripped off the bloodstained clothing, uncaring about where he dropped them as he turned the water on as hot as he could make it. He released his braid once the crusted blood had softened enough to separate the three sections; it wrapped around his arms and clung to his back like a blanket.

Crimson eyes stared blankly at the red water swirling down the drain. A burning on his chest above that of the water made him look down. The skin around his cross was a bright, angry red, contrasting greatly with the new extent of pale he'd never reached before, even as an L2 child. Ignoring the pain, he picked it up, righting the pendant to look at it closely. Unnoticed, the damage to his chest began to heal at a visible rate.

"What would you think of me now, Sister Helen?" he whispered, barely audible over the water. The room didn't answer.


	5. She dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: New chapter, fresh off the beta's email. For the one who commented on it, I want to know what you've been reading that a few weeks is a long time to wait for an update. Also, most of my chapters will be around the thousand word margin. That's just how I break them up for most of my fics, with only a few exceptions. Other than that bit, thanks for all the great reviews, peoples. They really cheer me up when I read them. Also, since I was recently reminded, I'd like to credit my girlfriend for the fantastic title of this fic. She came up with it when I was agonizing for something that wouldn't sound too overused.

"Violet Turned Red"   
Chapter Five   
She-Dragon

Even if he hadn't heard and smelled the men, Duo would not have been surprised to see a pair of armed guards waiting for him when he emerged, dried and dressed in the navy green fatigues he'd been given. This was how he and the other pilots would've treated a potentially dangerous, yet possible ally.

The men regarded him with a mix of curiosity and caution. Slipping back into his role of joker, he gave them a lazy grin and a nod. There was a little unease in their expressions, but Duo didn't think it was just in response to the fangs he's just flashed.

"So where to, gentlemen?" he asked, carelessly slinging an arm around each of their shoulders. "Maidens to slay and dragons to rescue?"

Something in what he said seemed to amuse the two, for they were both hiding snickers when the taller of the two, a blond man with a scar under his eye, answered. "Sir Hellsing wants to see you in her office immediately."

"To the she-dragon's lair it is," Duo quipped, earning a light chuckle.

He followed the two men up out of the dungeon-like lower levels of the building and into the house proper. Duo whistled, impressed by the age and size of the place. It reminded him a lot of some of Quatre's nicer places, only darker. He was led into an entrance hall and up the grand staircase. When they stood before a set of double dark wood doors, his escorts left him.

Rather than stand there feeling awkward in the hall, Duo pushed it open. Seras and Pip were already in the room, standing on either side of the door and facing away toward the head of the room.

He immediately wanted to ask if the woman at the desk had any relatives name Une, but stalled the impulse before his mouth could open. No need to look like an idiot first off; there would be plenty of time for that at a later date. Duo settled instead for getting a good look at who he was going to be working for for the undefined future.

Integra looked her new employee over closely, blue eyes stopping on the damp braid and catching on the silver chain just barely visible around his neck before landing on the simple ring he wore on his left hand. She knew this Maxwell to be examining her in much the same way, and found that she approved. You didn't survive long in Hellsing if you didn't view everything with a wary eye on the details.

"So, where's vampire number three?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"What makes you think that there is a third?" she replied, lifting an eyebrow.

The new vampire jerked a thumb back toward Bernadotte. "My old buddy here judged my potential against my _grand_ sire when Seras was readily available. That suggests that you're quite familiar with the old fang face. And if you'd been enemies, I'd think Mama-dearest would have protested a bit more. Ergo, three vampires working for Hellsing, myself included."

Integra smiled in her own way. "Nicely deduced, Mr. Maxwell. Unfortunately, Alucard is on a mission at the moment, due to return sometime tomorrow night."

"There's a vampire named _Alucard_?" Duo asked incredulously. "As in the reverse of Dracula? Lady, you wouldn't happen to have an ancestor named Abraham, would you? Because otherwise I think there a couple of animes have copyright to that name."

"Your accent," she commented, ignoring his gibe. "You're American?"

"From L2, actually," he said.

"I was under the impression that there weren't many colonists working in the Preventers, on Earth especially," Integra said.

"There're a decent handful of us," Duo said with a shrug. "Though, I'll admit that I've met most of them."

Nodding, the woman stared intently at his face. "There's something familiar about you, Mr. Maxwell."

"Maybe you've seen me on the news," the shinigami said. "I know the cameras have caught me once or twice hanging out with Quatre or Relena. And my partner is her boyfriend, so that isn't too rare."

"Perhaps."

Duo stepped forward to place both hands on the desk and lean in, causing both Seras and Walter to stiffen. "Now, I'm still waiting to hear just what your jolly band of men and monsters do here, especially since it seems seems that I'm being drafted to join you."

Integra threaded her fingers together in front of her, looking into his red eyes. "It's fairly simple, Mr. Maxwell. We hunt down and kill ghouls and vampires like you. When England is threatened by any sort of supernatural force, we search and destroy."

"Sounds like fun," Duo said with a predatory grin. "About how often do you get to go out and do this?"

"Often enough," Integra said with an identical smile. "I'm sure you'll hear plenty of tales from the men."

"Oh, I'm definitely planning on pinning Pip here into a corner until he talks." There was an audible gulp from by the door. "We've got a couple of years to catch up on. Including the reason why I'm the dead one."

"That's another thing I'm curious about, Mr. Maxwell," the woman said. "Just how did you fall in with a family of mercenaries yet end up as a Preventer rather than one of them."

"That's easy," Duo said, straightening back upright before slipping into an easy slouch. "I didn't. Solo, Pip to you folks, and I grew up on the streets. A bunch of us brats got sick when one of the plagues ran through, one-eye over there included. I thought he died. Somehow, the details still haven't been given to me, he ended up with his family again. Fast forward to today, and there you go."

Sharp blue eyes looked past him to the other braid bearing man. "I'll want a full explanation at a later time, but not now. See to it that Mr. Maxwell is given a proper uniform. Victoria, has he been given a room?"

"Not yet," Seras said, shaking her head. "We've been busy explaining things."

"I want him settled before sunrise," Integra said firmly. "You're all dismissed."

"Yes sir."


	6. Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay for updateness. The new quarter started this Monday at my college, so I've been scribbling again. Yes, I seem to write better when I have a million other things to do, especially when I'm ignoring my monotonous Creative Writing (which seems to translate to poetry for this guy) teacher drone on about a couple of poetry readings in a town about an hour north of our school. That and in sex class, which is fantastic and yes, attended while fully clothed.

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Six

Grief

Duo had snitched about five pillows from various rooms to stuff his new coffin with, the biggest being a deep red one from one of the other coffin-bearing rooms. Somehow, the dark and gothic motif just didn't fit with his sunny sire, so it must have been this Alucard's.

He had a lot to think about after getting an official briefing. A former Gundam pilot, he was no stranger to killing. With most of Hellsing's targets already in some form of dead, there would be little pull on his conscience.

"A mortal shinigami to kill mortal men; an immortal to kill immortals," he murmured. "Figures."

"Shinigami, Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo looked up, as though just noticing the older man that he'd been tracking since his arrival in the dungeon level. "You heard me."

"It's a curious moniker to live under," Walter said, a ghost of a smirk on his face. "How did you happen to come by it?"

A lazy smile spread over Duo's face. "I earned it, during the war."

"If you don't mind me saying, Mr. Maxwell, you seem rather young to have fought in the war. You would have been about fifteen, sixteen years old when the war ended?"

"Sounds like the correct ballpark," Duo said, relaxing back into the pillows. "But since when has age really mattered in war?"

Walter's returning smirk was unreadable. "I believe I see what you mean, Mr. Maxwell."

Wufei sat alone in the kitchen, two glasses of wine on the table, the bottle half empty. The glass on the far side of the table remained untouched from the point when he'd poured it.

The Preventer had done very little since Heero had left, switching off the news on his way out the door. He knew that the following morning was the latest Heero would be able to hold Quatre back from coming to comfort his friend. While Wufei didn't really want any comfort beyond that of his lover's own arms, he did appreciate the blonde's care.

"Duo," he whispered, staring blankly at the empty chair across the table from him. "Where have you gone?"

That was where Quatre and Trowa found him in the morning, slumped over in his chair asleep with his lax fingers just touching the bottom edge of his glass. Quietly, the pair corked and put away the remaining wine, Trowa lifting their fifth pilot and carrying him to bed while Quatre poured the full cup down the drain and washed both glasses.

"He stopped himself before doing any harm," Trowa said quietly, referring to the amount of wine left in the bottle.

"He knows Duo would be sad if he let himself fall to ruin," Quatre said, clinging to his husband. They'd had to drive past all of the flags at half mast on their drive to the apartment. "Just like he wouldn't- he wouldn't want us to cry."

Trowa just held the other man as they stood in the silent living room, tears falling from blue eyes to soak into his shirt. No one could have predicted that their laughing shinigami would be the first one to go, especially so soon after surviving the war and the streets.

Quatre wiped his eyes as he pulled away. "Sally said she'd come over this afternoon to make sure he eats, and I think Heero's planning on spending the night whether or not he's actually welcome. Under any other circumstances, I think it would have been fun to watch those two butt heads. They're both so stubborn. After spending so much time with Duo, you'd have to be."

"It'll do them good now," Trowa said, looking down at him. "Wufei will pull through this. We all will. We'll make Duo proud."

"We will," Quatre said, nodding as a small smile tried to make itself appear on his pale face. His eyes strayed past Trowa to a pair of violet eyes and a wicked smile staring at them from a wooden frame and his face crumpled. "I just can't believe that he's dead."

Duo had awoken early in the evening. A fresh set of clothes waited on the table next to his coffin, much like the uniform he'd fallen asleep in. Some thoughtful person had also left a brush with them. Picking up, he smiled to see several long reddish hairs stuck in the bristles.

Filled with pillows or no, it felt strange to wake up in a coffin. But still, it was better than waking up in a bed without so much as Wufei's scent to welcome him back to the waking world, knowing that he'd spend the rest of eternity that way. Better for Wufei to think him gone and at peace so he would move on with life than to know of his damnation. He could not let Wufei see him, ever. No matter how much it pained him to sleep and wake alone.

Shaking his head to clear out the thoughts from his mind, Duo hopped out of the coffin, leaning backwards and making his back pop. Purposely not thinking about how it'd always creeped Wufei out, he knelt down to grab the clothes and brush before heading out of the room toward where he remembered there was a shower.

Twenty minutes later, he was clean and feeling at least somewhat solid, since alive was really a term that didn't seem to fit with him anymore.

Though he could hear footsteps and faint life from the house above, he seemed to be the only one awake and moving down in the dungeon levels. Alone, he felt free to leave his hair down to dry faster, running the brush through it absentmindedly.

A long-fingered hand wrapped around his throat just as he passed the stairs to the house proper. Instinctually gasping for air, Duo struggled against the grip that was lifting him from the ground. He could distinctly hear the cracking pop as his windpipe was crushed.

"Lowlife vampire, you've intruded into my master's home," a low voice growled from behind him. "Tell me why, and I may kill you quickly."


	7. Beating Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm twenty! :Runs around like a beheaded chicken: Luckily for you peoples, I've been scribbling on his fic during my English class. And I'm actually allowed to. So that's why you got the shiny update so quickly. That and I enjoy torturing my muses. Chapter title thanks to awesome girlfriend of DOOM.

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Seven

Death's Beating

Duo was furious with himself. He was an L2 street brat for shinigami's sake! He'd gotten out of strangleholds before. So why was this one different?

Since struggling the way he had been wasn't producing anymore results than doing more damage to his already trashed neck, he went for a new tactic. Feeling which way the brush in his hand was oriented by which side was curved, he swung his arm back, praying that he'd hit.

The wire brush that hit Alucard in the face was more of a shock than actually something that hurt. But the shock was enough to make him drop the intruding vampire as he stared in disbelief at the blood on his hand from touching his face. On the floor at his feet, the other vampire lay crumpled in a heap, his hair spread all around him.

Alucard sneered at hearing the other's harsh panting as he tried to breathe instinctually. "Pathetic."

Red eyes glared up at him from behind auburn bangs before a hand rose up to treat him to the universal one-fingered salute. With a snarl, Alucard swooped down, grabbing hold of the bruised neck and slamming him against the nearest wall.

Duo was in a world of pain as he was shaken like a rag doll. By the time the iron grip holding him was switched to the front of his shirt, he knew that his neck was not the only thing broken. Limp, he still had a terrifying first-person view as a pair of jaws filled with sharp teeth closed around his throat.

"Master, no!"

Alucard froze at the first taste of blood in his mouth, barely registering his fledgling's plea. He knew that taste as well as he knew the taste of his own blood.

Seras almost cried in relief as Alucard carefully unlocked his jaw from Duo's throat. She had still been asleep when Alucard arrived home, and had not awoken until a wash of bloodlust had shaken her from her dreams. Seeing them from the other end of the hall, she'd feared that her master was going to kill her childe.

The nosferatu stared at the boy still hanging, unconscious, from his grip with disbelief. Bringing his other arm around, he cradled the broken body, staring a moment longer before turning to Seras. "How did you, all of people, find a Draculae?"

"A Draculae?" Seras asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, idiot police girl, a Draculae!" he yelled. "As in a descendant of my father, an heir of my family's line!"

"He was a Preventer, Master," she said, cowed by his fit of rage. "There was a bomb, and he was dying, I- I-"

His eyes softened and he reached out a hand to ruffle her hair. "Your soft heart did me a favor this time. Well done, Seras Victoria. Tell me, what is his name?"

"Uh, Duo Maxwell, Master," Seras said, flustered by the use of her name.

Alucard did a double-take. "Maxwell? A member of my line, a Maxwell?"

"Maxwell's a common name, Master," Seras corrected. "And Captain Bernadotte said that he didn't even have a name when he knew him before, so it probably isn't his birth name."

"Birth name or no, it's the name he introduces himself by," Alucard said, face unreadable. "And our master is letting you keep him?"

"He's already been briefed and given a room," she said with a nod. "Though it looks like he'll need a new uniform shirt. Will he be alright, Master?"

The old vampire looked down at the body in his arms. "He'll be fine. Your whelp is already healing. He's taken to blood a lot swifter than you if he was just turned in my absence."

"From what I saw and what Pip told me, once he figured out what happened and calmed down, he barely hesitated except to ask for a glass," Seras said, glancing at her fledgling, still cradled in her master's arms. The behavior was certainly out of character for the normally bloodthirsty and sarcastic monster. He was looking almost... gentle. "It's so sad. He had to leave behind his lover."

"What of his parents?"

"He's a war orphan," she said.

Alucard nodded. "Which is his room?"

Duo was hungry when he recovered consciousness, and no later than the thought had entered his mind there was warm blood on his lips. He licked them clean and more dripped down. The process was repeated several times before he opened his eyes.

A pale hand hovered over his face, index finger covered in blood. Looking past it, he suddenly jerked back, pushing himself into a seated position. "You!"

Alucard chuckled, cleaning the blood off of his hand and setting aside the glass he'd been dipping into. "Yes, child, me."

"Should have killed me while I was out, red," Duo said, climbing backwards out of the coffin he was in. He didn't need to look to know it wasn't his. "I won't let you surprise me again."

The other vampire smiled, and it wasn't a very comforting expression. "If I still intended to kill you, I would have, and I certainly would not have fed you, child."

Duo scowled, looking around as best as he could without letting the red man out of his sight. There was something familiar about the room that he couldn't place. "I'm not a child."

"You can say that once you've passed a century in age, or freed yourself from your master at the very least."

"I don't have a master," Duo said, glaring at the vampire.

Alucard laughed. "You do now, child. Your master is my darling fledgling. The police girl may never call herself that, but it doesn't make it any less true."

"Seras? Then you're Alucard," the pilot concluded, relaxing a hair fraction, but not anymore. "Why did you attack me, and why aren't you now?"

"My Master failed to inform me of the adoption of another pet vampire when I returned from my play," he said, amused. "As for now, why would I attack someone of my own family line?"

"You mean your line of vampires, right?" Duo asked.

Alucard shook his head, looking the other straight in the eye. "On the contrary, I mean my bloodline from when I was human."


	8. Son of Draculae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Writing scenes that don't match your mood are hard. I was all bouncy while writing this chapter, something that was not helpful, though it may have been the sadistic glee at torturing my favorite muses. ::Innocent face:: But otherwise, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Eight

Son of Draculae

Duo stared at him, shocked, before anger rolled in and the look of disbelief turned into a glare. "Do not mock me by telling me lies like that. Never again!"

"What cause would I have to lie to you, child?" Alucard asked, watching him. The boy's reaction confused him.

"Shits and giggles? Cruelty? How the fuck should I know?" Duo growled, nearly spitting out the words. "I don't have any blood family, and I never have. I made my own family."

The older vampire smiled with what someone could almost call approval. He'd only spoken to him briefly and fought with him for nearly the same amount of time but could already see that he would be a magnificent nosferatu when he grew into his power. The fiery young man was certainly beautiful, made immortal at the height of his splendor.

"What are you staring at?" Duo asked, bristling.

"You're lovely, just like my brothers were," the older vampire said. "Though, I would say you look more like my elder brother than you do my younger."

"And that's what makes you think I'm related to your crazy family?" he asked incredulously. "Because I'm pretty?"

Alucard laughed. "It was the taste of your blood, child. Draculae blood is very distinctive."

"Draculae... So you are, or at least were, _the_ Dracula," Duo said, rolling the thought over in his mind. "Guess Stoker got a few things wrong in the end of his book then."

"The foolish man got many of his facts wrong, the ending of his tale the least of them," Alucard said.

Duo sank back into the coffin, which he figured must have been Alucard's, as he'd thought earlier. Despite his humor, the other vampire sounded serious about his claim of kinship.

He looked at him through his bangs. "If I ever find out that you're lying to me, I'm coming after you with blessed silver and cutting your balls off."

Alucard grinned darkly at the threat. "You'll do, child. Though, we'll need to do something about your name."

"What's wrong with my name?" Duo asked, eyes narrowing.

"No kin of mine will be using the name Maxwell."

He growled. "I earned the Maxwell name, buddy. Through blood and tears and death."

"You don't know the true meaning of death, little one," Alucard said, leaning over him with his hands braced on the sides of the coffin.

Duo glared up at him. "I _am_ death."

Wufei could hear soft voices when he woke. The fifth pilot was disoriented for a moment. He hadn't fallen asleep on his bed, had he? But why hadn't he... He looked around the bedroom. Everything seemed to be in place. Almost. Where was Duo?

Then the previous day hit him and he choked back a sob. _Duo_.

"Wufei, are you awake?" Quatre's voice asked quietly through the door.

He quickly tried to scrub the evidence of his tears off of his face, sitting up in the bed. "Yes, I am."

Quatre pushed the door open slowly, peeking through before opening it enough to slip through. He looked at Wufei with sad eyes, his own grief barely disguised by his concern for the Chinese man.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Wufei was glad that the blonde had sense enough not to ask if everything was alright. They both knew that it wasn't, and that it wouldn't be for a long time.

Wufei gave him a nod, his reply barely audible. "I could eat."

Quatre tried to give him a smile before slipping back out of the room, most likely towards the kitchen. He could hear tinkering from the room, the whispers returning for a short time before falling silent again. Trowa must have been there as well.

"It's simple, but we didn't think you'd want anything with much flavor to it right now," Quatre said, nudging his way through the door with a tray. "Do you mind if Trowa comes in as well? We didn't want to crowd you right away."

"Thank you." They'd been right; he didn't think that he'd be able to handle much more than the toast and tea Quatre brought him. "I wouldn't mind having his company as well."

The clown had clearly been listening at the door because he came in without Quatre having to signal him in any way.

"Heero will be stopping by later," Trowa said. "I doubt you'll have much choice in the matter knowing him."

Wufei shook his head. "Thank you for warning me."

The couple stood awkwardly at his side as he ate, unable to find anything to say that wouldn't seem insensitive or out of place. While it was alright at first, the silence began to get to them.

"Either say something or go," the Chinese mans said softly. "This silence is unbearable."

"I'm sorry," Quatre said, eyes closed. "I suppose we're all used to Duo filling any quiet moments."

Wufei's voice was bitter, but not towards the blonde. "We're going to have to get used to the idea that he won't be anymore. Never again."

Quatre leapt forward to wrap him in a hug as much for Wufei's comfort as his own. It was a moment before a second pair of arms encircled the man as Trowa joined the embrace.

Hidden from the world by both walls and his comrades, he allowed himself to cry, wretched sobs echoing in the formerly happy room. The blonde whispered soft comforts in Arabic, running his hand over black hair while his lover was a warm presence against his back, arms wrapped snugly around his shoulders.

"Wufei, do you want us to arrange the funeral?" Quatre asked as the crying died out.

Still shaking, Wufei lifted his head from the blonde's shoulder. "No, I want to. It's one of the last things I can do for him."

Swallowing, the Arabic man nodded, not letting his friend go. And Wufei didn't fight him. He needed the comfort as he rarely did in the past. They stayed there until he dropped back into sleep, exhausted.


	9. Delivery

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Nine

Delivery

Integra sat at her desk, the smoke from her cigar curling lazily through the air. The short meeting with the young vampire hadn't told her much about him other than the fact that he had a sharp mind and a good mask. "Servant."

"My master."

She didn't bother looking up as he emerged from the shadows. "You've met Seras' fledgling."

"He's a Draculae."

Now she did look at him. "I assume you aren't referring to his newly gained vampiric line."

A slow grin formed on Alucard's face. "Young Duo is a descendant of my family's line, an heir to my older brother."

"You're sure?" the woman said, only half asking.

"I know what the blood of my tastes like."

Integra looked at him sharply. "You attacked him."

"Merely defending our beloved home," Alucard said casually. "Since I was not informed of his presence when I returned."

"We would have introduced the two of you soon enough," she said with a sigh. "What did you think of him?"

"He'll grow to be a magnificent nosferatu," The vampire sounded proud, and perhaps a little smug, "With a little training to remove his human reflexes, of course."

"And you plan on conducting this training, I suppose," Integra said, weaving her fingers together in front of her.

"The police girl has yet to accept her own nature, much less complete her training," he said. "She would only cripple him, and would likely be unable to break him out of his self punishing habits."

"Elaborate."

The vampire tabbed his chest. "He wears a silver cross against his skin. Even broken and unconscious, he fought me when I tried to tear it from him."

"I have Walter digging up what he can about him," Integra said. "From Seras and Bernadotte's descriptions, he grew up on the streets and until just now, worked with the Preventers."

"There's blood on his hands."

"Of course there is. As noble as their ideal is, Preventers do have to use force and kill on occasion."

Alucard shook his head. "There is much more than the occasional spill of blood. Seras' childe has nearly as much as I did by the time of my death."

"He's barely in his twenties," Integra said, eyes narrowed.

"Age means little to one's ability and willingness to kill," he said, looking at her pointedly. They both knew very well that a child could kill. And well. "I am eager to hear what Walter learns about our little Death."

The lady knight raised an eyebrow at the nickname but refrained from commenting on it for now. Better to wait for Walter's report than to admit ignorance. "Would you say he's adapted well?"

"So far, and certainly faster than his sire. The boy strikes me as being very flexible in many aspects." Alucard sat on the corner of the woman's desk. "He has a strong will to survive."

"Like you."

"We'll see."

It was several days later that Pip stood nervously at Wufei's door, a box of ashes carefully held in his hands. He'd knocked and was now waiting for a response, praying that the man he was looking for hadn't gone out. He didn't think that he could stand to do this again.

When the door opened, it was automatically apparent that the man standing there in the frame was not Chang. He recognized Preventer Agent Yuy instantly; meetings like theirs tended to stick in a man's mind.

"Bernadotte," Heero said, his voice carefully devoid of emotion. Blue eyes dropped to the box in the mercenary's hands. He jerked his head, signifying for Pip to enter.

"Is Preventer Chang home?" he asked, stepping through the threshold.

Heero nodded, closing the door. "Wait here."

Standing in the room a bit awkwardly, Pip had to keep himself from looking around the room too obviously. All around were things that his Kid used and loved. He wished there was something that he could take back to him, but knew that anyone who'd lived with the Kid would notice.

Even though he preferred the fairer sex himself, he couldn't help but to think that Duo had good taste as Yuy returned with the other man.

Chang was dressed in white, a pair of glasses perched on his nose. Even now, he moved like a fighter, but with an aristocrat's grace. Much like the Kid, actually.

"Captain Bernadotte," Chang greeted simply with a short bow.

Pip felt a little awkward returning the gesture. "Agent Chang. My condolences for your partner's death."

"Thank you."

Resisting the urge to shuffle, the older man quietly held out the box to him, feeling guilty about deceiving him. The ashes contained inside had been human once, but they obviously weren't this man's partner. Duo slept under Hellsing manor in his coffin, whole except for his loss of his heartbeat and the color of his eyes.

Wufei held onto the box with pale knuckled hands, swallowing as he looked down at it. How could everything that was his vibrant lover and friend be contained in such a small and boringly white thing? Unable to look at it any longer, he set it down on the table in the kitchen before returning.

"Is there a reason you came in particular?" Wufei asked softly.

Pip looked down. "I volunteered for the duty."

"Why?"

"I knew him, before he had his name," the mercenary said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I hadn't seen him since then until... Well, he was a good kid, and I am glad to see he grew up into a good man."

Wufei regarded him quietly. This man had known Duo, had probably stole with him, ran with him, starved with him. It was almost too much to see Bernadotte wearing that braid; he looked away.

"Thank you for making the trip, Mr. Bernadotte," he said. "The memorial will be held on Thursday if you decide to attend."

Pip nodded without making any commitment either way. He'd wait to talk to Duo before deciding whether or not he would go. With a small farewell to both men, he left the building, intending to hug his old friend the moment he saw him again.


	10. Ashes to Ashes

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Ten

Ashes to Ashes

Wufei found it fitting that both the rain and the sun showed up for Duo's funeral, a double rainbow arcing over them and contrasting so strongly with their black clothes. Bernadotte did not show, and he was glad in a way. Even taller and bulkier, the man's silhouette reminded him too strongly of Duo.

He spoke first, getting his words out before his voice could break and leave him. Heero was next, by right as Duo's partner and closest friend. Trowa's parting words were as brief as Quatre's were long, the blond empath trying to bind their tattered hearts back together with memories of what had bound them so tightly together after their war's end.

The others in attendance remained silent, including the single stranger who hung back behind everyone else. Though suspicious of his intentions at first, they allowed him to remain when it was clear that he merely meant to observe. The elderly gentleman bowed low to Wufei when he came up to place his lily at the base of the podium. Wufei barely noticed, staring down at the collection of pale flowers.

He only looked up again when Une called for the seven gun salute owed to Duo as a Preventer dying in the line of duty. The shots rang out in the silence of the late morning. Sharp salutes were given by all in farewell to their fallen comrade.

Once everything was over with, Heero drove Wufei back to the apartment. Neither spoke the entire time, Wufei staring blankly out the window.

"What happened to his cross?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

Heero thought for a moment. "I don't know. He must have been burned with it."

Wufei nodded, closing his eyes. He leaned his forehead against the chilled glass. That was fine. Duo should have his cross with him. It was so important to him. Wherever he was now, it'd certainly be a comfort."

Duo fingered his cross as he waited for the household to settle down and fall asleep. He'd snipped one lock of hair off and coiled it into a locket brought to him by Walter along with his own obituary from the paper. The lofty and flowery language made him suspect Quatre's influence.

There was little doubt that the old butler knew exactly what his plan was. If anyone else did, they didn't say anything.

Once he was pretty sure everyone was either asleep or at least distracted, he tucked the locket into his pocket and slipped out. His newly heightened senses made avoiding the grounds' security ever easier than it would have been with just his training alone.

Wearing a hat with his braid stuffed down his jacket, he made his walk into the city, feet automatically taking him to their apartment building. Standing on the sidewalk, he looked up, red eyes picking out their window. The cheerful orange curtains he'd put up had been replaced by heavy black drapes that didn't stir even though the window was open to the night breeze.

Taking a deep, if unnecessary, breath, he dug his fingertips into the tiny spaces between the bricks and began to climb directly up the side of the building. Once he reached their floor, the vampire slipped in through the kitchen window.

Duo just stood there for a while, smelling and listening to his home. He smiled sadly at the soft sound of breathing. _Wufei..._

Moving through the hall, he stopped at their open bedroom door, unable to go further. Wufei slept alone on the bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. Duo would have done anything to be that pillow right then, to be in his lover's arms. He could _hear_ the other man's heartbeat, steady and even as his breathing in sleep.

Before he could lose his nerve, Duo crept forward silently, climbing up to kneel on the bed. A hand ghosted over Wufei's sleeping form, careful not to touch him. The vampire had lost the right to do such with his death. His beloved did not deserve to have a corpse caressing him uninvited.

He lingered longer than he should have. When the clock he'd bought when they moved into the apartment chimed and knocked him out of his trance, he almost jumped. After quickly checking that Wufei slept on, he made an indent in one of the pillows, pooling the chain of the locket in it, the pendant resting on top.

"Goodbye, Wufei," he whispered, ignoring the wetness on his face. He didn't want the distinctive red he knew he'd see if he wiped his eyes to grind in the reason he was saying farewell to the only man he had ever and would ever love. "Find a new source of joy, for me."

Before he could become caught up in watching his lover sleep and lose the ability to leave, he climbed off the bed and left the room. He was about to leave out the same window when his eyes caught on a photograph sitting on the coffee table.

It was a simple photograph, just a snapshot taken at Quatre's latest New Year's party. Relena had snuck up on them with a camera after they'd left the central activities to sit quietly together. Wufei'd been up and chasing the laughing woman a moment later of course, but the photo she sent them a month later was one of his favorites.

Hesitating, he glanced back towards their room. Swallowing, he pocketed the small frame. Even if he wanted Wufei to be able to move on, he wanted to see his lover's face when he woke up.

Wufei rolled over and opened his eyes after several more hours had passed. He looked at the pillow next to his, slowly reaching out a hand to lift the piece of jewelry that hadn't been there the night before. Opening it, he stared at the chestnut hairs coiled within.

"Duo?" he whispered, looking around. Of course, there was no one there. Curling his hand around the locket, he held it to his heart as he climbed out of bed, wrapping up tightly in a red robe, fingers automatically tracing over the batwings stitched over the breast pocket.

Someone had been there in the night, but the presence was comfortable and not intruding. His eyes were drawn to an empty spot where there should have been something. The photograph.

Waves of grief and anger crashed against each other as his fist clenched around the pendant. Who could have come in without waking him, just to leave him a gift and then steal something from him?


	11. Grounded

"Violet Turned Red"

Chapter Eleven

Grounded

A very cross looking Integra was waiting for him when Duo snuck back into the manor. Seeing her face and posture, he cringed.

"I don't recall giving you permission to leave grounds," she said in a tightly controlled voice.

"That's because you didn't." No point in beating around the bush after all. He'd left and been caught. End of story. "There was something I needed to do, so I did it."

Integra nodded. "Did anyone see you?"

"No sir."

"Good. You will be confined to the lower levels with the exception of your assigned training for the next two weeks. After that time, you may be allowed leave if we believe your performance warrants it. Dismissed."

He knew he was getting off lightly somehow. Giving her a short salute, he headed down to the dungeons. Until the training she'd mentioned actually started, there was little for him to do other than sit and flex the new senses he'd gained.

It wasn't long before Duo was curled up in his coffin against the pillow he'd (re)stolen, watching a shadow curl around his fingers like an affectionate pet around its owner's legs. He only half controlled the thing, he knew, so forcibly kept it small despite the underlying desire to absolutely let it loose to grow and feel.

"You seem to be a natural."

"Must be the blood," Duo said dryly, looking up at the old butler that had entered. "Because this wasn't exactly covered in my training."

"As a Preventer or as a Gundam pilot?" Walter asked casually, an eyebrow lifting behind his monocle.

Duo's eyes narrowed. "How did you find out about that? I know Une's got that information under tight lock and key."

"Perhaps, but even a resourceful lady such as your Une cannot completely stifle something once it's been on the world news." There was a trace of a smirk in the man's otherwise pleasant expression. "It's curious how your moniker was so similar to my own, though using god rather than angel."

He quirked his lips, laying back casually once again. "Angel of Death, huh? It suits. So are you retired now or is this just your day job?"

"I do whatever my employer requires of me," Walter said with a small inclining of his head, but there was something in his tone of voice that told the former Preventer everything he needed to know about the issue.

"I know what you mean," Duo said. He brought his arms up to pillow his head on. "So, do you have any idea what this training I keep hearing about will entail?"

"Alucard has claimed the right to train you in your new abilities as one of the undead," he said. "You'll be training to fight alongside the Wild Geese as well, under Miss Victoria and Captain Bernadotte." The human man handed him a bag of blood along with a glass. "Both should begin very soon."

Tearing the bag open, he squeezed it into his glass as he nodded to the other. It would be nice to have something to do again. A bored Duo was a dangerous Duo after all. That's when he tended to get creative.

Duo was woken up much earlier than he was really ready for for an all-encompassing mass of inky black shadows. Recognizing them as rather similar to his own, he stayed still and watchful.

"Are you awake now, little death?" the shadows asked, voice all too familiar to him already.

"You know I am, Gramps," he grumbled, rolling over and pulling his pillow over his head. "So you can cut the theatrics."

Alucard was smirking as his body solidified back into his usual red coated form, which was easily lounging in a chair. He reached down and plucked the pillow away from Duo's head. "Get up."

The pilot reached up and snatched his stolen pillow back, whacking the older vampire with it before sitting up with a fanged yawn. "Ass. I'm getting up already."

"Are you always this eloquent upon first waking?" Alucard asked, the tone of his voice decidedly amused.

"The advantage of living with a man who wakes up freakishly early and brings you coffee to wake you up," Duo said as he reached for his shirt, only to have a bag of blood land in his lap.

"Your 'coffee,' tea, brunch, midnight snack. Don't expect it to be brought to you for every meal. The serving staff does not like to come down here, and I am not part of it."

The former Preventer snorted, glancing at his picture before tearing his 'breakfast' open and drinking it down. He tried not to grimace when he found the red liquid to be room temperature. Honestly, cold would have been better.

His distaste must have shown in his face, for Alucard chuckled. "If you want it warm, fetch it from the kitchens yourself."

"I grew up on the streets, Gramps," Duo said as he pulled on his clothes. "You don't have to worry about me expecting to be waited on."

"How did one such as you remain untouched without a retainer?" Alucard had an odd look on his face as he said that, as though he'd thought to have completed a puzzle only to realize it contained an inner edge.

Duo blinked. "What do you mean?"

"A virgin, boy. One must be a virgin to be sired as a vampire."

He sent him an equally odd look in response. "I'm not. I haven't been a virgin since I was fifteen."

Surprise flickered in old red eyes as Alucard blatantly stared at his grandchilde. It was quite obvious that Duo was not and was not going to turn into a ghoul, as he should have if his statement had been true. But it didn't seem as if he as lying either...

Alucard abruptly stood up and headed for the door. "Finish your meal and go with the Geese to the shooting range. Your training will begin there."

He didn't wait for any sort of response from Duo before leaving. There was something he needed to find out.


	12. Missing Him

"Violet Turned Red"  
Chapter Twelve  
Missing Him

The kitchen was already bustling when Do slipped in for seconds, the members of the Geese scattered about a couple of long and unused prep tables as they squabbled over fruit and sausages. The sheer resemblance to the Sweepers made him grin, his concerns over what Alucard'd said being pushed to the back of his mind. It wasn't home, but maybe he could settle here after all.

Eyes sweeping the room, he caught sight of Pip trying to wave him over to where a few men seemed to be working together in an attempt to spoon feed Seras. It wasn't going so well from the looks of it.

"I said I'll eat later!" she protested, struggling while clearly trying not to hurt the men holding onto her. "Do you have to do this every morning?"

"Until you start feeding regularly we do," Pip piped up, watching with an amused grin. He turned to Duo as the vampire approached. "Morning kid. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept fine… but would you mind telling me what in the world you're doing?" He folded his arms across Pip's shoulders to lean over him.

"Our mignonette here has a bit of an eating problem that we're trying to help her with," the mercenary said casually, ducking to avoid being hit by a flailing foot.

"Looks like you could use some help," Duo said with a chuckle. He winced in sympathy when one of the men was tossed off, landing hard on his ass.

"Duo!"

"That would be mighty appreciated," Pip said with a grin.

Nodding, Duo moved in to take the place of the men behind his sire, hooking his arms around hers to hold them in place. With her immobilized like that, the remaining men just managed to get her mouth open and a few spoonfuls of blood into it at a time.

"Enough!" Seras finally sputtered once they'd managed to half empty the bowl. "Try to give me any more and you will be getting flying lessons!"

"That's more than we've gotten into her any other day," Pip said. "You all heard the lady, back away."

"You did great, Mum," Duo said as he hugged her before pulling away. The female vampire stopped, looking at him oddly. It took Duo a moment to realize what he'd called her, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. But, the name seemed to fit. "Hope you don't mind the nickname. Better than 'sire' or something like that."

"Or police girl," she said after a moment of silence, smiling at him with a flattered pink in her cheeks. "I don't mind if you call me mum." The woman turned a sharp eye towards Pip when he made a cooing sound. "Don't you say a word."

"What? I was only going to say that you should try not to confuse people by being a virgin mother," Pip said with an innocent smile that quickly morphed into a fully fledged leer. "In fact, I could even help you with that part, non?"

There was an indignant screech while Duo walked over to the fridge to get out a bag of blood for his own breakfast. He nimbly stepped out of his old friend's way as he ran for his life, Seras hot on his heels with the clear intent to main him.

Watching them, he had to sigh. Damn, he missed Wufei.

While Wufei knew that he wasn't over Duo's death and frankly would never be, returning to work was so much easier to do than drifting around an apartment that felt too cold and too empty without the other man. He was summoned to Une's office the moment he entered the Preventer lobby.

"Come in," the woman said when he knocked.

He pushed the door open and had to blink in surprise at the sight of Heero already standing in front of Une's desk, what was recognizable as a personal folder in his hands. The Chinese man shook his head and smoothed out his expression. "You called for me, sir."

"Chang, thank you for being prompt," Une said, holding a folder out to him. It was nearly identical to the one Heero held. She pressed on without giving Wufei any time to ask questions. "Your new partner assignment. Po is transferring to the medical department. You have an hour to move to your new office, no arguments. Dismissed."

Both men were standing outside of her office and in the hallway before there was a chance for Wufei to so much as open the folder. When he did so, a familiar blue-eyed face stared up at him from the photograph paper clipped into the folder.

"I requested you as a new partner," Heero said softly once Wufei had had a moment for it to sink in. "My other choice was one of the new recruits."

The black-haired pilot nodded, starting to head to his now former office. He would need to pack up his desk. "A junior agent would slow you down on missions."

"Exactly."

They glanced at each other and shared a nod. It was well understood that the only person who could possibly stand in for one Gundam pilot would be another, whether on the field or personally. Between two men like themselves, it didn't require stating.

"His desk was already emptied, his things sent to you with the contents of his locker," Heero said as they walked. There was no doubt about who 'he' was, so Wufei merely nodded. "There's some damage, but Quatre didn't think that you'd want the desk refinished."

"He was correct," Wufei said, voice quiet. The fifth pilot wasn't exactly known for being a conversationalist before Duo's death, and would likely be less of a one now. He stopped Heero before the other man could enter his former office. "I can pack up myself, Yuy. No matter what Winner believes, I am not incapable of doing things for myself."

Heero gave him a long look before nodding sharply and turning on his heel without another word. Once he was gone, Wufei headed into the office to pack his things into a box from the storage closet.

He was rather glad that the other man was absent in their now shared office when he brought the box in, the small cactus that Sally'd given him a few months before balanced on top. The desk he put them down on had never been so clean as long as he remembered. With the paperclip scratches on the edges of the desk, it seemed so wrong for it to be clean. He sighed and opened the top drawer to start settling in. Damn, he missed Duo.


	13. Meeting of the Maxwells

"Violet Turned Red"   
Chapter Thirteen   
Meeting of the Maxwells

When Duo was allowed to leave the grounds again, it was on the condition that he went nowhere near _any_ of the pilots' homes or tried making contact with them in any other manners. As much as he wished he could have gone to see Wufei again, he doubted that he would be able to leave this time if he tried. He'd just end up staying there beside him until Wufei woke up and it became too late to escape.

Even with that thought in mind, he wasn't sure what prompted him to head north, or what odd turns ended him directly outside the fence of what he clearly recognized as a church run orphanage... and a Catholic one at that.

Duo smiled wistfully as he watched the kids play from his tree branch. In his position, he was mostly out of sight unless someone stood directly underneath him, a spot that was a good few feet from the edge of the yard. Not a bad way to spend an evening, if he said so himself.

So relaxed, he barely heard the dinner bell that sent the children running inside and only vaguely noticed the tall man standing in the doorway.

"Somehow, I'm thinking that you're no orphan."

"Somehow, I'm thinking that you'd be wrong," Duo said, imitating his speech. He twisted to look down through his (stolen) sunglasses, not that he had far to look, at the man who wore the tell tale uniform of a priest. "Father."

"Aye, perhaps, but not one of ours," he said, a humorous grin on his face. "Which brings to question why you were watching the little ones that are."

"Just a bit of nostalgia," Duo said with an answering grin, though he was careful to keep his teeth hidden. No need to scare a man the size of Rashid. "Once lived in a church a bit like this, a long time ago."

"In that case, would you care to join us for the evening meal and mass?" the priest offered. "It's simple fare, but we have enough to go around."

"Can't say I'm too hungry right now, but I wouldn't turn down a warm place to sit with good company for a while." Duo let himself drop down from his perch and turned his face up to look at the man.

The Father's eyes widened behind his glasses when he caught sight of exactly what pair of sunglasses the former pilot wore. He stepped closer to get a better look at him. "What did you say your name was, lad?"

"Didn't, and I'd rather not," Duo said, grin unfaltering. He had too much practice at this. "Too much opportunity to get into trouble with the boss, you know?"

"Fair enough, fair enough."

With a last glance at the sunglasses, the Father turned his back to head back inside, waving for Duo to follow him. "In that case, come in before you catch your death and we have to bury a nameless corpse in the yard. It would upset the children."

"Well, can't have that," Duo said with a chuckle, following him with his hands in his pockets. "Kids in places like this have enough troubles without adding a ghost or two."

Sitting in the front of the dining hall with the Father and a few of the other caretakers, it was easy to slip into relaxed conversation. It was just so much like the Maxwell church got whenever other priests visited. He nursed a glass of water to help keep up appearances even though it made his stomach twist with every swallow. There would have been no way he could have handled food.

Things went well until the doors to the dining hall opened and a late dinner guest came in... a blond haired priest only a few years older than Duo, and with similarly long hair. Duo made the mistake of looking up when the very tall Father paused in their conversation to acknowledge the other man, and there was instant recognition.

"Father Anderson, why have you let that _thing_ in here?" the newcomer all but snarled. A few of the younger children near him cringed.

"Oi, we may not have gotten along when we were kids, but there's no need for name-calling," Duo said as both he and Anderson stood, the elder looking between the two long-haired men with narrowing eyes. "You're gonna scare the kids."

A firm hand clamped down on Duo's shoulder, the friendly warmth that Anderson had been projecting all evening vanishing as he felt the pilot's undead chill through his shirt. "Can't have that, now can we. Let's go outside and have this little reunion in private."

"Sounds good to me. What do you think, Father?" Duo's innocent smile was definitely at odds with the tense situation. The blond didn't answer except to growl as they were both pretty much herded outside by Anderson. The young vampire allowed it right up to until the church door had been shut behind them. There, he dug in his heels and refused to move. "Looks like a good enough spot to chat, Enrico."

The larger of the two started while Enrico all but bared his teeth. "You'll not be so familiar with me, vampire."

"Got nothing else to call you. Not calling you blondie, 'cause that's my buddy's name. And you know why I'm not calling you Father Maxwell, even if you made it further than I did," Duo said with a rather pointedly sharp grin.

Anderson looked between them, fingers twitching as though they were itching to reach for something. "I be understanding that the two of you know each other?"

"We lived at the same orphanage for a time, before I was sent away," Enrico said slowly, not taking his eyes from Duo. He sneered at the other orphan. "The Father would kill you himself if he saw you like this."

Duo growled and would have leapt for the other man's throat if it weren't for Anderson grabbing a tight hold on the collar of his shirt. He struggled against him with a snarl. "You take that back! Father Maxwell never raised a hand to anyone and you know it!"

"Even that foolish pacifist would have destroyed a monster!" the younger priest shot back.

"You both can calm down. I won't let any blood be spilled on holy ground, you hear?" Anderson yelled, grabbing hold of Enrico's shirt for good measure as he held the pair apart. "Now you get on before I drag you past the fence and destroy you there, vampire. And I'd better not see you coming around here again."

"Yeah, I gotcha," Duo said, shooting a glare at the blond man. The moment he was released, the vampire was off and running. He wouldn't be going north again. Duo didn't need that bitter of a reminder.


	14. New Toy

Violet Turned Red   
Chapter Fourteen   
New Toy

While Wufei knew that he wasn't over Duo's death and frankly would never be, returning to work was so much easier than drifting around an apartment that felt too cold and empty without the other man. Still, it was no surprise that he was summoned to Une's office the moment he entered the Preventer lobby.

"Come in," the woman called when he knocked.

He opened the door, blinking in slight surprise to see Heero already standing in front of Une's desk. If she thought she was qualified to counsel them... The Chinese man shook his head and smoothed out his expression into one of mild disinterest. "You called for me."

"Chang, thank you for being prompt," Une said, holding a folder out to him. "Your new partner assignment. Po is transferring to the medical department. You have an hour to move to your new office. Dismissed."

With the speed that she gave him the information, Wufei didn't even have time to open the folder to see who his new partner would be until both he and Heero were standing in the hallway outside her office. Familiar dark blue eyes stared up at him from the photo clipped inside the folder.

"I requested you as a new partner," Heero said softly once Wufei had had a moment for it to sink in. "My other choice was one of the new recruits."

The Chinese man nodded, starting to head to his now former office with Heero following at his side. Wufei would need to pack up his desk. "A junior agent would slow you down on missions."

"Exactly." It was well understood that the only person who could stand in for one Gundam pilot would be another. Between two men like themselves, it didn't require stating. Even Une and Sally had understood that, speeding Heero's request significantly.

"You'll have to put up with Duo's artistic attempts at redecorating his desk with a pen knife," Heero said when they paused at the storage closet to nab a pair of boxes. Wufei's level of clearance would mean that he would have a large number of files to move. As for the desk, it wasn't even worth asking Wufei if he wanted to requisition a new one.

The other man stopped for a moment before going back to searching for the pile of lids that fit their size of boxes. "That's fine. He's done the same to one corner of the kitchen table." So many little reminders of where Duo had been, small marks that he'd left. Wufei wouldn't trade them away for anything except for the man himself. "They're attractive, honestly."

Heero wasn't all that fooled by the act, but kept his silence about it. If Wufei wished to cope by acting recovered, that was his business. He simply nodded in acceptance of the statement and settled the box onto his shoulder for easier carrying and followed Wufei the rest of the way to his office. Being on active field duty again would distract both of them.

They didn't talk while they packed up the papers and other things kept in Wufei's desk, leaving the office empty. Sally had already been moved out it seemed, her desk clean and ready for whoever the office was going to next. They ended up having to go for a third box, but between the two of them managed to clear the room, down to the tiny potted cactus nestled in between Wufei's stapler and favorite coffee mug.

The men carried the boxes down the hall, a passing junior agent hurrying to open the door to Heero's office for them. Wufei told himself to ignore the way that the slightly older man stared at his back, thankfully biting his tongue before any condolences were uttered to either of them. It was rather well known that the two Asian pilots were short tempered and far from being sentimental. Not to mention that Maxwell had always been a sore spot. The first agent who had put forth the idea that he'd been cheating on Chang with Yuy into humor had quickly transferred to L3 for 'health reasons.'

It didn't take a genius to know that the only threat to the man's health had been one overprotective partner and one outraged lover. He'd only been lucky that Maxwell hadn't chosen to get his own revenge.

Wufei set his two boxes on the desk, fingers tracing idly over the deep grooves his lover'd carved. He smirked a little as he recognized the familiar shape of a scythe wielding figure. His shinigami.

"How long until we start running missions again?" he asked, straightening up and once more hiding his sentimentality. This was neither the time nor the place.

Heero glanced up at him, a small smile on his lips, more characteristic of his time in the pilot's seat than now. "Tomorrow."

* * *

Duo found it strange how much his training with Alucard and with the Geese became daily routine, and how much he was sometimes reminded of the three years he'd been learning to pilot under G or'd been learning everything else from Howard's Sweepers. G and Alucard. Now there was a terrifying comparison. Now if he could only figure out where Walter fit in all of that. Or Integra, the fiery ice queen overseeing it all. If anything, she was like a sane version of Colonel Une, but since he hadn't known Une then, she didn't fit in the set.

Speaking of, the woman was giving him a rather unimpressed look at the fact that he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been. Duo gave her a bit of a sheepish grin and turned his focus back on her. "Sorry, got distracted. You were saying?"

"I would put any other soldier on unpaid leave for that disrespect," Integra informed him flatly, tapping her pen on the top of the desk in irritation.

"Ah, but you don't pay me," Duo said, giving her a wink. If he irritated her enough, he might get shot, it would be worth it. "So it'd just be a few days off from... not doing all that much."

With the way that the lady knight's fingers tightened on her cigar, she was pondering bullets too. And it wouldn't be the head atop his shoulders that tasted lead. Or silver, if he was reading her right. " _That_ , Maxwell," she gritted, "would be my reason for calling you in here. My servant is under the impression that you're ready to take a trial mission."

He was quick to cover up his surprise at the news, hiding it behind an eager grin. "About damn time. From the sound of things with Mum, he had her fighting within the week."

"Miss Victoria wasn't a public figure before her death," Integra said with a raised eyebrow. The fact that her newest vampire _was_ was the reason they needed him to be as trained as possible before they allowed him in the field. "Also, we wanted to be sure that you would be able to handle melee fighting."

Said vampire echoed her expression as he looked at her. Sure, he'd been wondering why Alucard had had him playing with a scythe of all things (and there was no question that their training was play, no matter how violent), but with the old man, who could tell why he did anything? "So, this mean that I'm getting a shiny toy like Mum's?"

"Walter's designed a weapon for you, yes," Integra said, a hand coming up to rub the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. It just wasn't worth correcting him, not when he obviously took after his uncle so much. "He seems to be under the impression that it's one you'll be rather suited to."

"Sounds like it'll probably be a fun one then." From the look of Alucard's twins and Seras' toy, anything coming from Walter was bound to be good, and possibly huge.

Not for the first time, the woman had to wonder if his skills were worth the amount of frustration he put her through. Surely it would be easier to let Alu- no, the vampire liked the boy. As did her butler. There would be no help from her servants. She'd have to shoot him herself.

"You'll find out once you meet with Walter in the armory," Integra replied as she tried to keep from going for the revolver in her top drawer. But it was a close call. She waved a hand towards the door. "Dismissed."

"Aww, I don't get to keep the lovely lady company anymore?" Duo asked with a cheeky grin, vanishing in a wisp of shadow just as a bullet embedded itself in the door behind him. He reappeared right outside the armory, knowing better than to startle the old man. It sounded about as smart as sneaking up on G. Which... was about as dumb as sticking your tongue in a light socket.

The vampire rapped on the door with his knuckles before pushing it open, immediately looking around for what he hoped would be some really awesome toy- ahem, weapon. But all he saw other than the usual was Walter setting something that looked a lot like a flute case on the work table. Huh?

"Just in time, Mr. Maxwell," Walter said without needing to look up. Someday, Duo would find out how he did that accurately without fail, every time. He gestured for the younger man to come over, nimble fingers flipping the case open. "I believe this will suit you quite well."

Far from being the gun that Duo had expected with a small case, there was what looked like three lengths of a pole, except that the shorter two had indentations for fingers. At Walters prompting, he picked up the longest pieces and turned it over in his hands. Subtle buttons near each end, several other tubes inside visible from both. Duo raised an eyebrow at the thing and lightly pressed the buttons, only for a grin to start forming when extensions shot out from each end.

"Very nice," he said softly. Duo twirled the rod in his fingers, making note that it was weighted on each end, and there were two grooves where he assumed the handle pieces fit in. Easy to stick in, simple catch to remove. Now he just needed to figure out what the pair near the top were for...

Walter took a small step back to give Duo room, a small and tightly controlled smile on his face. "Might I suggest compressing the button at the end of your forward handle? And do hold it ports facing _away_ from yourself."

Giving him a curious glance, the former pilot moved the pole to face away from him like he'd been told and pushed the button. If his grin had been happy before, it was nothing compared to the wide smile on his face now. He couldn't help but to laugh. "A thermal scythe. You made me a fucking hand-held thermal scythe."


	15. Classified

Classified. It wasn't a word one used much to one Lady Une, former colonel of OZ and right hand to General Khushrenada. It was usually what she told  other people something was. Yet there the word was, in glaring black ink, on the results of the inquiry she'd sent in for information about the Hellsing Organization. And not just in terms of 'this is classified so it goes no further,' but 'classified, you may not have this information.' That just did  not happen, and she growled the more she stared at the paper.

The report she'd gotten from the first team of agents that she had sent in was no more revealing, and included several written orders to cease and desist her investigation into Hellsing. A report she'd gotten late because the agents had had to spend a few days calming down before they could produce it. There was something  wrong about those people.

Normally, when there was a difficult source, she sent Wufei at them. His sharp mind and intimidating nature made him an expert at it. But that was one of the problems. Une couldn't tell him about the investigation. She was already worried about him enough as it was. It was obvious that he was not taking Duo's death well, which was to be expected. More related stress could break him. And not only could the Preventers not afford to lose another agent like him, but she cared about the boy. Une did not want to see him hurt any more than he had been.

And if the results of her investigation gave him something to blame and something to bring to justice for his loss, it could only help him.

Une leaned back in her chair with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and ward off a headache that was trying to settle in. What she wouldn't do to be able to send in a few mobile suits to 'suggest' that the information come easier. But no. World peace, no mobile suits. Damn Peacecraft.

Making a snap choice, she picked up the phone. She  would get that information, and she would get it soon. And if she had to break a few laws and more orders to get it, then that was what she would do.

" Yuy. "

"In my office," Une said crisply. "I have a mission for you."

-

Duo couldn't really think of what he'd done (recently) to get called to Integra's office, hands shoved in his pockets as he walked, whistling a song he'd picked up from the Geese. He'd been doing his training, hadn't gone out on his very few days off, had even been eating the vampiric version of his three square meals a day. So what had gotten him called to Principal Teggy's office?

"Enter," the woman snapped the moment his knuckles hit wood, and it didn't take a genius to see that she was  not happy as he pushed the door open. "Maxwell."

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," he said automatically, hands up just in case she was in the mood to use the gun he knew for a fact lived in her desk drawer. Integra might not have shot him yet, but he'd certainly seen her shoot Alucard plenty of times. Though he wasn't quite convinced that  that wasn't just their sort of foreplay (which he had the good sense never to say out loud).

Integra snorted, tapping the ash off of her cigar before fixing her with a look. "You have hacking experience, correct?"

Well that sure wasn't what he'd expected to hear. Duo blinked in confusion before nodding slowly, a frown on his lips. Oookay, so just what was going on if she wasn't blaming him for something? "Yeah, you could say that. What about it?"

"We have an intruder who's started trying to get through our firewalls," Integra explained, turning a print out around to face Duo on the desk. "The unknown subject hasn't broken into any sensitive parts of the database yet, and your orders are to make sure that that doesn't happen."

"Aw, I knew you liked me," Duo said with a slow grin as he picked up the paper to read what was obviously Walter's report on the attempt from... that afternoon, from the looks of things. "Giving me a toy to play with~"

The blonde woman scowled, giving him a look. "This isn't a game, Maxwell. If information gets out about our personnel and what we do here, it could-"

"It could compromise Hellsing's ability to function and take out the bad guys who go bump and om nom nom in the night, etcetera etcetera," the finished for her, rolling his eyes as he waved off her concerns with a hand, well aware that most people would probably catch on fire under the heat of the glare leveled at his head. "Believe me, boss lady, no two-bit hacker's going to have a chance against me. I could program firewalls in my sleep. Probably did, back when the Preventers was just a baby organization, don't remember."

"Good. I expect daily reports on the results until you have this intruder full locked out of our systems," Integra said shortly. "And I also want you to track down their physical location. If needed, we will take them out to protect our secrets."

Duo's grin took a darker, grim turn. That was tactics he was familiar with. Not ones that he liked to use, but ones he knew. The former pilot nodded his head and stuck his hands back into his pockets. "I'm sure we won't have to do that. Probably just some smart kid who likes a secret. I'll take care of it."

"See that you do."

Giving her a sloppy salute, Duo turned and headed out of the office with a frown. He went for the basement stairs, but instead of returning to his rooms or going to the mess, the vampire went for the server room where the computers would have a direct link. It was time to get to work.

It wasn't long after his entering the system that he found his busy hacker, grin slowly returning to his lips as he took a moment to watch this stranger work. Guy was good, he'd give him that. In fact, the more that he watched, the more that Duo started to feel homesick. It was almost like-

"Well fuck me sideways," Duo whispered to himself as his smile suddenly went wide. "Heero, you nosy little bastard."

It could be no one else. There was only one person in the world who hacked quite like that, and Duo quickly had to get to work as those little electronic footprints grew way too close to files that they shouldn't. He wasn't about to just let his old friend play with his toys, oh no.

Miles away, one Heero Yuy cursed as he was suddenly kicked out of the system, staring at his monitor with surprise before blue eyes narrowed. He'd already cracked their outside security system. That was  not their firewalls. Looks like Hellsing had a computer expert.

Too bad there was nothing that could keep a Gundam pilot out of a system they wanted to crack.  



	16. Pilots at Play

Apparently, even perfect soldiers could be wrong. Five hours, probably a few gallons of coffee, and a new keyboard later, Heero was no closer to getting back into the system. Clearly, Hellsing had a master on in their employee, the likes of whom he'd only seen a few times in his life.  
  
More than once, he'd gotten part of the way in, slipping through any back way that he could find, only to be kicked out soundly on his figurative cyder ass. It was almost like the other hacker knew his style personally, and could guess what he would look for. Almost like- no, that was impossible. Shaking the thought from his head, he knocked back another half cup of hot coffee, he sent his fingers flying over the keys once more, sharp eyes searching through the scrolling code for something, anything that he could use. There was to be a way past this guy, and he was going to find it or die trying.  
  
What he spotted instead made him blink, rubbing his eyes to check if they'd just decided to scramble the code in front him out of sheer exhaustion. But no, it didn't change. There was a damn smiley smack dab in the middle of the code, tucked inside some programmer's notes and _winking_ at him. And right in front of him, it changed to stick its tongue out at him. The Preventer growled. They were taunting him! With fresh fury, he forced his focus to sharpen as he dug down into the code. He'd see who taunted who!  
  
Back in Hellsing's server room, Duo was grinning with red eyes shining as his fingers danced over the keyboard. He wasn't sure if it was just him, but it felt like this was a lot easier than the last time he'd hacked against Heero when they'd been testing the Preventers' systems for weaknesses. Like he was just moving and processing a lot faster than he'd ever been able to even as a Gundam pilot. Apparently vampires made better hackers, who knew. Good thing too, or they've have a problem on their hands. Especially by now. He could practically feel Heero's irritation through the computer as he not only blocked him time and time again, but teased him too. Because really, how could he resist? It didn't seem likely that Heero would figure out who it was behind the keyboard either, not when everyone 'knew' that one Duo Maxwell was deader than dead.  
  
He let out a quiet cackle, fangs flashing as his grin grew wider and more wicked. "Come on, Ro, let's dance." Now, did the computer they had Heero using have a webcam...  
  
Turns out it did, and Duo was treated with the view of Heero hunched over the keyboard typing furiously, glaring at the screen below the little camera eye with a level of hate that he thought his old partner reserved for enemy combatants and reporters. And was his left eye twitching? Snickering, Duo zoomed the camera in just a little. Yes, yes it was.  
  
Said eyes flicked up towards the camera eye and went wide for a moment before the pilot's hand came up and the video feed abruptly cut off. Duo grimaced. He could pretty much figure what had happened to the poor little camera, and it involved the word 'crunch.' Hands that could bend steel after all. A little plastic and circuitry camera? Didn't stand a chance.  
  
"Touchy, touchy," Duo muttered before snickering under his breath. Well, at least Heero still looked pretty healthy. That was a big plus. What could he say, he worried about the guys. Not like he could call them up and check on them. "Sorry about having to do this to you, buddy, but can't let you in."  
  
Setting a false trail to distract Heero for a moment, Duo opened another code box and starting crafting one of his more vicious viruses. He'd made it to combat anyone who got to far into the Preventer servers, but had never needed to put it into action before now. It was designed to do a very simple thing. Erase everything on the computer system, and then overwrite it with busy but meaningless code. In other words? Heero would be hacking on a brick. It wouldn't stop him, but it might slow him down long enough for Duo to code something to keep out a hacker of Heero's caliber for a few weeks. He'd figure out what to do from there later.  
  
Smirking, he tucked the virus right where Heero would probably go after he figured out that his lead was just a dead end, ready to spring the moment that his old partner pocked at it. That done, he sat back with a satisfied grin to wait.  
  
Aaand poof, down went Heero's connection into the systems. It really was too bad he'd lost the camera already, but it would have been delicious to see the guy's face in that split second between Heero noticing the virus and the system going into full shut down. Snickering, he cracked his knuckles and stretched in his chair before picking up the phone and ringing Integra's study. "Hey dragon lady, _ninmu kanryou_."  
  
-  
  
Heero sat back and stared at the black computer screen flashing 'no input' in visible shock. They'd beaten him. _Him_. Just who the hell did they have over there?! He'd never been bricked so soundly and solidly before, not once in his life. And especially never so easily.  
  
But he wasn't about to give up so easily. Heero had been given a mission, and accepting his failure to complete a mission was not something that he did. It may not be as simple as he'd figured that it would be when he'd started and passed through their firewalls the first time, but he wouldn't have survived the war if he didn't know how to pick himself up again and figure out a new way around. He was getting into that system if it killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ninmu kanryou - Mission accomplished. Yes, he's imitating Heero.


End file.
